Riverside rings in the Lunar New Year with a bang

The sound of Taiko drums echoing through the streets, the smell of mouth-watering foreign food wafting through the air and the festive colorful decorations attracted people’s attention to the streets of Downtown Riverside on Jan. 31.
The Asian Pacific Cultural Association hosted the Lunar Festival for a fifth year on Mission Inn Avenue, accompanied by many community volunteers and professional groups.
The APCA’s main goal for the Lunar Festival is to help promote awareness and increase of education of Asian culture in the Inland Empire.
The festivities began with an eye-catching parade on Mission Inn Avenue along with traditional music and dance performances.
“Today was an awesome event. This is my third year coming to the festival and it’s to welcome the Chinese New Year. It’s mostly Asian influence,” said UC Riverside student, Jennifer Barrios. “The turnout was better than the previous year, there was a lot of people that attended. I get to hang out with friends and meet new people.”
The festival also had Asian market shops where people could experience different foods and shop for cultural goods. There was also a range of entertainment on three different stages.
“There’s more people here than last year,” said Adrian Munoz. “It’s interesting because I’ve been here before and I like the different Asian cultures and have an enjoyable time with the children.”
The Lunar Festival concluded with a grand firework display, welcoming the beginning of the Lunar New Year, “the Year of the Goat,” with a bang.